The Valley Preferred Cycling Center

New Zealand finally did it! Eddie Dawkins became the first Kiwi to put his name on Valley Preferred Cycling Center’s prestigious Keirin Cup tonight. Dawkins won the race in exciting fashion, too. After Canadian Joseph Veloce pulled the train behind the Keirin pacer for three laps, Dawkins put the hammer down and cut through the pack to take control of the final sprint. He was challenged by American Giddeon Massie, who nearly nipped him at the line. The Meade Orthopedics Keirin Cup XXV, presented by Coordinated Health, will go down as one of the closest Keirin Cup races in Valley Preferred Cycling Center history.

Dawkins takes pride is scoring one for his own country, and insists velodrome fans haven’t heard the last of New Zealand.

“I definitely will not be the last New Zealander to win the Keirin Cup,” said Dawkins. “New Zealand is developing such big talent, and has a lot of depth to their program. We were a small fish in a big pond when comes to sprinting. But now we’re right up there competing with the big boys. It’s just amazing to win this race.”

On the women’s side, Dutch rider Willy Kanis continued making new fans during her first season in T-town. Kanis held off countrymate Yvonne Hijgenaar and 2008 winner Monique Sullivan of Canada to claim a spot on the Keirin Cup.

“It’s really cool, because it’s a big race here,” said Kanis. “We don’t have any racing right now in Holland. The racing is great here. I’m enjoying it.”

Special Guest: If winning wasn’t enough for Dawkins and Kanis, they were presented as 2010 Keirin Cup winners by a very special guest of Valley Preferred Cycling Center. Katsushi Kodera, the European representative of the Japan Keirin Association, was in T-town to greet our winners.

This year’s event is special for Valley Preferred Cycling Center. The 25th anniversary of the Keirin Cup is a big accomplishment. The Keirin Cup continues to be one of the longest-running and most-prestigious Keirin events in cycling. Having a guest like Kodera, and international winners like Dawkins and Kanis, is a great testament to the Keirin Cup and Valley Preferred Cycling Center.

You Pick ‘Em: It was perhaps fitting that Kodera was on hand for the event. The Keirin race was born in Japan in 1948, and ever since then it has been a highly-wagered event among Japanese fans. In Japan, it’s legal to bet on bicycle racing; things aren’t quite the same in the U.S. So Valley Preferred Cycling Center put an American spin on the Japanese tradition

Valley Preferred Cycling Center introduced a You Pick ‘Em Contest for fans, and dangled free velodrome goodies to anyone that could correctly predict the winners – men’s and women’s – of the Keirin Cup. Valley Preferred Cycling Center executive director Marty Nothstein, a seven-time Keirin Cup winner during his racing days, even gave an assist to the fans by posting his odds for both the men’s and women’s races.

The goal of the You Pick ‘Em Contest was to get fans involved in the event. Prior to the event, fans were in the plaza pondering their picks. In the infield, pro cyclists were at odds – no pun intended – over who the favorites should be. The Keirin Cup is already one of the most-anticipated events on the World Series of Bicycling calendar. The You Pick ‘Em Contest just took things to a higher level.

“It’s important to get fans involved in every night of racing,” said American pro Andy Lakatosh. “The more the fans get to know and interact and cheer us both on and off the track, the better I think it is for everybody. I think it’s also a great way to get people involved and to know more about the international riders; that’s a really unique showcase at T-town. One of the best things about track cycling over some other sports, even professional road cycling, is our fans can actually down into the infield and meet us after racing. You can’t go talk to Lance [Armstrong] after the Tour de France; he’s on the bus and he’s gone.”

This issue definitely isn’t lost on Lakatosh, who credits the velodrome community and fans’ access to the riders with the launch of his racing career.

“That’s one of the best things about T-town,” added Lakatosh, a Lehigh Valley native. “How often do you get to go down and not only get an autograph but have a conversation with a pro cyclist and see the equipment and ask questions. That’s what really drew me into the sport, getting to talk to Marty Nothstein and be around Marty when I was 12 to 13 years old. That little spark lit a big fire which led me to get to the point where I am now. I think getting fans involved is huge.”

Racing Round-up: While the Keirin events were the highlight of the night, there was plenty of other exciting racing under the lights. On the men’s side, Kiwi Shane Archbald took the Miss-and-Out, then teamed with American Shane Kline to win a 50-lap Madison. U.S. rider Bobby Lea claimed Scratch Race, which locked up a close Omnium win over Archbald. In women’s competition, Emmaus rider Kimberly Geist won the Super Sprint Elimination and the 3k Tempo Points Race. The Bear Creek Future Stars got some action as well, with Calan Farley winning the Keirin and Zach Prebosnyak taking the 3-lap Handicap race.

Drumroll, Please: Valley Preferred Cycling Center strives to involve the Lehigh Valley community in its World Series of Bicycling pro racing program. The Lehigh Valley Youth Drumline delighted the crowd with a performance during an intermission.

The non-profit community youth organization provides a first-year marching experience for youth in the Lehigh Valley.

“We call it a positive risk-taking experience,” said Tim Gallagher, director of Lehigh Valley Youth Drumline. “We encourage kids to try something new. There’s no requirements. There are no fees. There are no pre-requisites as far as being able to play. We teach them everything they need to know from the beginning all the way through. Our hope is that after a few years with our group, these kids go on to their local high school and become a model student and play in their marching bands, and enrich the high school marching band programs.”

Roller Derby: The ladies from the Lehigh Valley Rollergirls took a few laps during the night to introduce the T-town crowd to the increasingly-popular sport of Roller Derby. For a group that’s looking to gain more traction in the Lehigh Valley, a visit to Valley Preferred Cycling Center was a good fit.

“It’s great because we’re trying to establish ourselves as an aggressive women’s sport in the Lehigh Valley,” said Rollergirl Tanara Govern. “Coming together with the Cycling Center is going to pretty much help put us on the map as far as sports in the Lehigh Valley.”

The Rollergirls, which are currently 4-1 on the season, got a lot of attention from the nicknames on their jerseys. For example, Govern’s derby name is Helen DaRink. There are also names like Spawn Jovi and Greta Gridiron. It’s all in fun, though. Govern is quick to point out, “We’re a PG-13 venue. It’s definitely family friendly.”

Next Event: The World Series of Bicycling returns to action next Friday, July 30, with the Fastest Man on Wheels event. Gates open at 5:30. With tickets starting at just $5.00 and kids 12 and under getting in free, a trip to Valley Preferred Cycling Center is a great night out for the entire family. Racing starts at 7:30.

Photo by Anthony Skorochod of Cycling Captured